Barton-Mansfield Company v. Bogey

147 S.W.2d 977, 201 Ark. 860, 1941 Ark. LEXIS 50
CourtSupreme Court of Arkansas
DecidedFebruary 10, 1941
Docket4-6194
StatusPublished
Cited by6 cases

This text of 147 S.W.2d 977 (Barton-Mansfield Company v. Bogey) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Arkansas primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Barton-Mansfield Company v. Bogey, 147 S.W.2d 977, 201 Ark. 860, 1941 Ark. LEXIS 50 (Ark. 1941).

Opinion

Holt, J.

A scaffold on which appellee, John Bogey, was standing while repairing the roof of appellant’s lumber shed fell and he sued jointly, appellant, Barton-Mansfield Company, a corporation, and Calvin Carter, an employee, to recover damages in the sum of $8,000 to compensate for injuries alleged to have been sustained by him.

The negligence of appellant lumber company and Carter, its employee, alleged in appellee’s complaint was that Calvin Carter stacked against the scaffold upon which appellee vras standing more than “three times” the amount of lumber necessary to complete the repair of the roof upon which appellee was engaged thereby causing the scaffold to collapse and seriously injure appellee.

It was further alleged “that at the time the scaffold collapsed, and prior thereto, the plaintiff was standing near the north end, and in a position from which he could see neither the defendant, Calvin Carter, nor the amount of lumber that had been piled against said scaffold.”

The lumber company and Carter filed separate answers denying every material allegation in the complaint, and specifically pleading assumption of risk and contributory negligence and that appellee was an independent contractor.

Upon a trial to a jury there was a verdict in favor of defendant, Calvin Carter, and a separate verdict against appellant, lumber company, in the sum of $3,000. From the judgment against it, the Barton-Mansfield Company has appealed.

Stating the testimony in its most favorable light to appellee, as we must do, the record reflects that John Bogey, appellee, 56 years of age and a carpenter and contractor of some 18 years’ experience was employed September 4, 1939, by appellant through its manager, C. D. Miller, for the special service of repairing the roof of appellant’s lumber shed. For this work he was to receive 50c per hour, or $5 per day, and was to select a helper at 20c per hour, or $2 per day. Appellee selected “Bubba” Durain as helper and his services were paid for by appellant through a check payable to appellee, who in turn paid Durain.

Before beginning the work on the roof, appellee and his helper, Durain, for their convenience, built the scaffold in question from lumber which they selected from appellant’s stock. This scaffold was approximately 35 feet in length, seven feet high and'about three feet from the roof. It was divided into three sections, with only the extreme left section cross-braced, the center and right sections having a line brace for their support. Appellant had nothing to do with the construction of this scaffold.

Calvin Carter and Aubrey Bogey (appellee’s son) were employees of appellant stacking and arranging lumber and doing other odd jobs about the yard.

During the progress of the repair work on the roof, appellee directed his son Aubrey and Carter to bring him some 10 or 12 pieces of shiplap boards about 14 feet in length. This they proceeded to do with the aid of a truck. They brought, however, 30 or 35 pieces of lumber. After Aubrey Bogey had placed 10 or 12 pieces of this lumber leaning 'against the end of the scaffold at an angle of about 45 degrees, Calvin Carter unloaded the remaining pieces from the truck, placing them against the end of the scaffold with the boards that Aiibrey Bogey had unloaded. About five minutes after these boards bad been left leaning against tbe end of the scaffold, the scaffold collapsed injuring appellee.

On the question of procuring and delivering these pieces of lumber, appellee testified that he said to his son, Aubrey, and Calvin Carter, “Boys get me some lumber,” and that he told them it would take 10 or 12 pieces; that his son brought the lumber in a truck and “He stacked it on this 2x6. Q. You- could see him taking it from the truck, but could you see the lumber? A. Not unless I would have got down on my knees. Q. I mean, did you see the lumber? A. No. That is the only way I could have seen it. Q. Did you see Calvin Carter take any of the lumber from this truck? A. Yes, sir. Q. Could you hear the lumber being stacked against there? A. No, sir, I couldn’t. I don’t know where he put the lumber. I know he finished unloading. I saw him unload the lumber. ... A. I was working on that board. I was on right there — on this end when it collapsed. . . . That scaffold went out from under me like a streak of lightning, I guess. Before I thought to catch on anything, we were on the ground. It just went down awfully quick. I had no warning whatever.”

Quoting further from appellee’s testimony: “Q. Mr. Bogey, what kind of scaffold was that? Was that a substantial scaffold? A. Just as substantial as I ever built, I considered it. . . . Q. Did you see the stack of lumber they had up there? A. I didn’t see it until after it hit my feet.: Q. How large a stack of lumber was it that fell down, a portion of which hit your feet? A. I presume there was 30 or 35 boards. Q. Was it more lumber than a scaffold of that kind should be used for? A. In my judgment, yes, sir. I wouldn’t have let them put it up there if I could have seen what they were doing. I didn’t observe it. I certainly didn’t. . . . Q. Was there anything said between .you and Mr. Miller about the help so far as getting the material to you, or how you were to get that? A. Yes. He says the boys that are out there were going to get me the material I needed. . . . They (meaning Aubrey Bogey and Calvin Carter) bad nothing to do with the building of the scaffold or the repairing of the shed, but they were to bring me the material.”

On cross-examination appellee testified: “I saw them come back, back with the truck. Q. 1 You saw some of the lumber placed out there? A. I saw some of the lumber placed out there, yes, because I pulled up one or two boards afterwards, yes, sir. Q. When did this scaffold fall? A. This scaffold — we got along there and put on four or five of them boards I think— Q. Just let me ask you, where did you get those boards? A. I got them off down here. ... Q. You knew there was lumber there? A. Yes, sir, I knew — I saw him put — I had been drawing up some from there. . . . Q.' Mr. John,'did Mr. Miller assign Aubrey Bogey and Calvin Carter anything to do in connection with the repairing of the roof? A. In that way, no. . . . Q. Mr. John, you are really your own boss, are you not? A. Well, invariable.”

Eugene Durain, appellee’s helper, testified on behalf of appellee (and here we quote a summary of his testimony from appellee’s brief) that “he heard Bogey tell Calvin Carter and Aubrey Bogey to get some lumber; that he and John Bogey were standing on the walk board at the time that the lumber was stacked against the end of the scaffold. He testified that John Bogey stood between him and the north end of the scaffold ; that he did see some of the lumber that was stacked against the end of the scaffold, that is, the first boards towards the middle; that he could not have seen all of the lumber stacked there; that the roof would have obstructed their view in seeing more than the first boards that had been placed against the end of the scaffold; that at the time the scaffold fell he and Mr.

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Bluebook (online)
147 S.W.2d 977, 201 Ark. 860, 1941 Ark. LEXIS 50, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/barton-mansfield-company-v-bogey-ark-1941.